I get asked this question a lot. The indie artist or band can get easily overwhelmed with all the details, logistics, planning, and questions that come with navigating through the waters of the music industry. So, we recommend a good management team in place to raise the level of professionalism of the artist and take the administrative burden from them so they can focus on what they do best! Why do you need management?
You need a management company to administrate your bookings and handle all the details. If you can handle all of the logistics yourself, then perhaps you’re not ready for us. You need to review carefully all of the services we offer so you’ll understand what we do and why, some day, you’ll need management.
The work of management is very different from the work booking agencies do. In fact, several well-known booking agency execs have personally told me that managers don’t like to do bookings and booking agencies don’t like to manage. So, there exists a wide divide between the two and it always most affects the artist who needs both services.
We span that “great divide” by providing an umbrella of services that includes both booking agency work and management. We know that most, if not all, artists at your level need management, but you need bookings, too, so you can pay management. It sometimes seems like a vicious circle, doesn’t it? We make our services as affordable as possible, realizing that most artists at this level do not have the income to support the various fees and commissions to pay multiple entities their industry-standard rates, i.e., a manager, a publicist, a booking agency, a business manager, a tour manager, etc.
The Management Agency (TMA) does not simply manage artists. Rather, we provide advice, guidance, counsel, and other services an artist may reasonably require to further his or her career as a musician, composer, actor, recording, and performing artist; we help develop new and different areas within which his or her artistic talents can be developed, and we work with other firms or persons who may be retained for the purpose of securing contacts, engagements or employment for our clients. Our clients do not have to hire publicists, art directors, marketing firms, promotions or image consultants, and career counselors – The Management Agency provides all of this and more for our clients. We only work with Christian artists who share our core values rooted in the Word of God. As a worship leader, musician, and songwriter myself, I fully understand the needs and temperament of the Christian artist. As a professional manager with over 23 years’ experience in non-profit business management and development, I understand the business needs of the touring minister.
We are a “full-service” agency dedicated to providing quality, affordable management and administrative support for both established artists and those seeking to take their ministries to new levels. The primary goal of The Management Agency’s AMA (Artist Management & Administration) Division is to help Christian musicians fulfill their calling to serve God through their musical gifts. We do this by being a resource provider, ministry facilitator, guidance counselor, and yes, manager. To provide the most customizable management plans for our clients, we have divided our services into two main areas of support: artist management and artist development.
We have great flexibilty in customizing management plans for our clients within their budgetary limits. As I’ve said before, I’ve had major record company executives tell me that, unless the artist has a management team in place (not just a booking agency), they will not even consider discussing a record deal with them. Anyone can hire a booking agency – the truly serious ones have managers!
There is a need for the artist to expand his/her circle of exposure, moving from “small-town” band to national recording/touring artist (if that’s what you want). That’s not done overnight – and in the process, if you don’t have professional management guiding you through the industry’s waters, you could sink. We encourage our clients to develop what we call “concentric circles of contacts.”
Basically, you work outward from your hometown, to more regional events, eventually developing a national presence. This is done very methodically and carefully making sure to make the most of every contact. Of course, along the way you may pick up a major record deal which will catapult you past some of these steps. When/if that happens, though, you’ve built a solid foundation of grass-roots support that will carry you to the national level and beyond.
And that, my friend, is why you need management!
